Catching up with FoG

Dusty with Kong Cozie
Marvin the Moose and her new collar from Happy Hound Designs give comfort on another morning indoors.
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It's been a slow week for Dusty and I. Summer's onset in South Florida has made us kind of lazy -- we're not getting out as much as we used to when the weather was so pleasant.

Kango at Friends of Greyhounds kennels
Kango enjoying a few minutes of free time
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But we did get a chance today to get to Friends of Greyhounds. Dusty got a few minutes to run in the yard with her Sunrise buddies before the rains came, and I was able to spend some time with the four guests at the kennels.

As expected, old FoG friend Daniel appeared at the kennels Monday and went home with Domino, the big black hound who stole his heart Saturday at the One Last BBQ gathering. Daniel was ready to adopt a new companion after Jeff crossed the bridge a few weeks ago. Domino's big personality won him over Saturday and pretty much sealed the deal when he planted a big kiss on Daniel late in the day.

And Tuesday, Michelle delivered Posey to his new home in Wilton Manors. He was adopted by the young couple who spent an hour or so talking with Michelle and getting to know Posey at the Saturday gathering.

That left the four guests at the kennels -- Kango, Casey, Stormy and Taylor.

Fuzzy arrives at Friends of Greyhounds
Fuzzy on his arrival at FoG
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Update on Kango: He has macular degeneration. It turns out that the skull injury he suffered in his last race a few months ago did not cause his eyesight to start failing. The prognosis is the same -- he's expected to be sightless in a few months. Last I heard, Rick and Janine are still considering adopting him, but nothing is definite.

Casey, meanwhile, has become a completely different animal. His switch flipped at some point in the past week or two, and the extremely shy boy has become one of the family. He's no longer showing reluctance to engage, at least with us humans he has come to know. He's a youngster, a few weeks shy of his second birthday, and he's going to be great with someone looking for a devoted and loyal friend.

Before my FoG day was complete, Michelle got a call from a family who reluctantly decided they had to give up their guy. Fuzzy had been in the home for a more than three years, but family issues forced a separation. I took the ride with Michelle to Cooper City to pick him up and bring him back to Sunrise, where he'll be in the hunt for a new family.

UPDATE: Fuzzy's racing name was Fuzzy's Bob Dylan, but his family renamed him. So he now is Logan.

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Highlights

Speedy's brand new world

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About Dusty and me (Part 2)

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W hen a racing greyhound suffers an injury, like Barts Moondust did in a race in Miami last August, her handlers generally drop her into a kennel for a couple of days to see if the injury heals on its own. If it doesn't, the owner retires the dog and in most cases leaves it up to the handlers to dispose of her. Dusty at Friends of Greyhounds, August 2016 ---------- Her injury was really bad -- obviously enough that her owner gave up on her immediately. I don't know the chain of events between Aug. 13, when she hobbled through her last race, and Aug. 15, when a Friends of Greyhounds blog post says she landed in the FOG kennel in Sunrise, FL. I had been volunteering at FOG for just a few weeks at that point. I reported for duty one day after Aug. 15, and Michelle pointed out the new arrival -- a young, gorgeous shiny black dog in the end kennel with a blue soft cast covering the lower part of her right hind leg past the hock and down to her toes. Michelle told me she ha
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A Star is home; Yuki's orientation

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Winning Star is now Noel Star with a new home. The happy family: Pat, Nico, Star and Andrea ---------- Star, who turned 8 years old the day after she arrived at the Friends of Greyhounds kennels three weeks ago, landed Wednesday in her family home in Hialeah with her new name. She was adopted by longtime FoG volunteer Andrea and her mom, Pat. She also has a canine sibling, Nico, a senior chihuahua mix who will help Star get adjusted to her new life as a domestic pet. Star and Andrea met at Miami International Airport as Star was being loaded onto the FoG van shortly after her arrival from Macau. Star was the hound who rode loose in the back of the van with me tucked among the crates of the other four arrivals. I held onto Star's leash to steady her as she snuggled with Andrea, in the front passenger seat. Andrea decided during the ride that she wanted to adopt Star. Andrea sent this photo of Star enjoying a snack on her new bed in her new home with her new toy close b
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FoG's Macau dogs making themselves at home

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Andrea welcomes Pearl River (Zhujiang Winds) to the FoG kennels. Pearl is the cutie of the bunch. She's 8 years old. We think she arrived in heat -- to be dealt with in the next week or two. ---------- They appear happy and healthy. And thrilled to be off those damn airplanes. Winning Star is celebrating her  8th birthdaytoday. Andrea bonded with her right away and hopes to adopt her if she proves cat-tolerant. ---------- The five Macau imports taking up residence at Friends of Greyhounds enjoyed some quiet, restful sleep Wednesday night, their first on the ground in Florida. Michelle, longtime FoG friend Andrea and I spent more time Wednesday picking them up at Miami International Airport than we had anticipated. Getting all five loaded with their crates into Michelle's van was a bigger challenge than we had hoped. But we got the job done with little real problems, and the hounds are happily in their spacious kennels devouring their meals like little pon
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Gotcha, Speedy

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Uncle Jerry and Michelle help load Dusty and Speedy into the Kia Koach. It was a little emotional, as Speedy's might be the last of more than 2,400 adoptions out of Friends of Greyhounds. Retirement beckons. ---------- Speedy has landed. For the first time in his 8.5 years of life, the former Macau racer has a family he can call his own. Dusty and I welcomed him into our Northwest Lauderhill townhouse around 5 p.m. Wednesday. We drove over to Friends of Greyhounds HQ mid-afternoon and made the adoption official. We came home, unloaded from the Kia Koach, and immediately -- before even going into the townhouse -- went on a short walk up the block to visit our friend Inge, who always welcomes Dusty to her door with a handful of treats. Inge didn't disappoint -- but Dusty got most of the treats. Speedy got one or two but was entirely too distracted by all the new sights and sounds and smells to spend much time snacking. Speedy wasn't the only Macau alum that left F
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